The original Bon Ami formula was developed in 1886 by the J. T. Robertson Soap Company as a gentler alternative to quartz-based scouring powders available in stores.[1][2] In those days, scouring powder was made from tallow and finely ground quartz. When quartz was mined, it was entwined with feldspar, and the two had to be separated by hand.[3] The feldspar was discarded until Robertson discovered that this soft mineral could be combined with soap to create a less-abrasive product that would clean without scratching, resulting in the Bon Ami product.[4]
As of 1896, Bon Ami was a common product in northeastern United States households.[4] The chick and slogan "hasn't scratched yet!" are textbook examples of an early American trademark.[6][7][8] Consumers in the late 1800s understood that a newborn chick doesn't scratch the ground for three days, thus the correlation with the non-scratching benefits of Bon Ami.[4]
20th century
In the early 1900s, Alfred William Erickson, founder of McCann Erickson Advertising, revived the brand with full-color pages in leading women's magazines. He accepted Bon Ami as a client circa 1908.[9] Artist Ben Austrian painted the prints,[2][3] and Ben's wife served as the model in the ads. The campaign blossomed into literature with the release of The Chick That Never Grew Up, a work of children's literature featuring Princess Bon Ami.[2]
In 1963, Lestoil purchased an approximately 60% stake in Bon Ami.[10] Bon Ami merged into Lestoil in 1964, after protracted negotiations.[11]
In 1980, the company again revived its brand with a magazine campaign featuring the headline "never underestimate the cleaning power of a 94-year-old chick with a French name".[8] During the first 6 months of the campaign, Bon Ami sales rose 12%.[13] Nevertheless, its business was still flagging by 1983, when it remained in third place behind products from Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive.[12]
21st century
In 2011 the Bon Ami company celebrated its 125th anniversary by re-releasing the original cleaning cake for purchase. Limited supplies were offered both with and without a commemorative tin, celebrating the original formula's popularity.[14]
Advertising
The product's slogan "hasn't scratched yet!" refers to its ability to avoid scratching porcelain plumbing fixtures. The Bon Ami mascot, a chick emerging from an egg, is a play on that slogan.
In Canada, the brand is owned and distributed by S.C. Johnson & Son as a glass cleaner.
In popular culture
Bon Ami advertisement, 1890.
In the comedy film The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, whenever discussing a murder at an old mansion, one character mentions that the police were unable to clean the blood off the organ keys, and another character adds, "And they used Bon Ami!" Lead actor Don Knotts personally got permission from the president of Bon Ami to include this reference to the company's product.[17]
In the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel Tender Is the Night, first published in 1934, Fitzgerald notes the routine of the character Dick Diver in cleaning up his workroom at his home outside Cannes: "He swept up, for no servants were allowed in there, treated his washroom sketchily with Bon Ami, repaired a screen and sent off an order to a publishing house in Zurich".[18]
In the first volume of his autobiography, Isaac Asimov recalls a box his family kept in the bathroom when he was a child, and how in his childish naïveté he was impressed that the company was so conscientious that if they ever found that the powder had scratched, they would change the slogan to "Only Scratched Once!"[19]
Jane Vandenburgh's novel Failure to Zigzag makes reference to Bon Ami's slogan "hasn't scratched yet".[20]
^ abcCross, Mary (2002). "Bon Ami Scouring Powder". A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th-Century Consumer Culture. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 3–4. ISBN978-0313314810. OCLC 1029270577. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
^Rhinelander, David (August 27, 1999). "Scratching the Surface of Bon Ami's Beginnings". Hartford Courant. p. B1. ISSN 1047-4153. ProQuest 256268856.
^Barach, Arnold B. (1971). "Bon Ami Chicks". Famous American Trademarks. Washington, D.C.: Public Affairs Press. pp. 23–24. OCLC 1034671046.
^Nesbit, Wilbur Dick (1922). First Principles of Advertising. Gregg Publishing Company. pp. 104–105.
^ abPercy, Pam (2002). The Complete Chicken. Stillwater, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. p. 118. ISBN9780785827542. OCLC 1148597385.
^Hirschhorn, Bernard (1997). Democracy Reformed: Richard Spencer Childs and His Fight for Better Government. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 13. ISBN978-0-313-30144-5. from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
^"Lestoil and Bon Ami Reach Accord With Merger Foes". The New York Times. June 27, 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
^ ab"Bon Ami Now Scratches for Soap Market Share". The New York Times. March 21, 1983. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
^Ferrell, O. C; Pride, William M. (1982). Fundamentals of Marketing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 340. OCLC 1035151757.
^. Archived from the original on December 8, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
^"Bon Ami® 1886 Original Formula SDS Number: 04030" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
^"The Bon Ami Story". Bon Ami. from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
^Knotts, Don; Metz, Robert (1999). Barney Fife, and Other Characters I Have Known. New York: Berkley Boulevard Books. pp. 180–182. ISBN9780783888224. OCLC 1028652483.
^Fitzgerald, F. Scott (1997) [1934]. Tender Is the Night. Penguin Popular Classics. London: Penguin. p. 207. ISBN978-0-14062-359-8.
^Asimov, Isaac (1979). In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1920-1954. Doubleday. ISBN978-0-385-13679-2. from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
Dorman, Evelyn S. (1994). "Bon Ami". In Jorgensen, Janice (ed.). Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands. Vol. 2. St. James Press. pp. 66–68. ISBN9781558623378. OCLC 756196954.
Woodward, A. (2003). "Faultless Starch/Bon Ami Company". In Grant, Tina (ed.). International Directory of Company Histories. Vol. 55. St. James Press. pp. 142–145. ISBN9781558626966. OCLC 769044999.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bon Ami.
Official website
March 11, 2023
french, good, friend, brand, scouring, powder, sold, company, kansas, city, missouri, since, inception, late, 19th, century, brand, advertising, campaigns, have, gained, particular, notice, advertisement, featuring, hasn, scratched, slogan, 1907, contents, his. Bon Ami French for Good Friend is a brand of scouring powder sold by the Bon Ami Company of Kansas City Missouri Since its inception in the late 19th century the brand s advertising campaigns have gained particular notice Advertisement featuring the hasn t scratched yet slogan 1907 Contents 1 History 1 1 19th century 1 2 20th century 1 3 21st century 2 Advertising 3 Ingredients 4 Outside the United States 5 In popular culture 6 See also 7 References 8 Sources 9 External linksHistory Edit Advertisement in American Cookery 1919 19th century Edit The original Bon Ami formula was developed in 1886 by the J T Robertson Soap Company as a gentler alternative to quartz based scouring powders available in stores 1 2 In those days scouring powder was made from tallow and finely ground quartz When quartz was mined it was entwined with feldspar and the two had to be separated by hand 3 The feldspar was discarded until Robertson discovered that this soft mineral could be combined with soap to create a less abrasive product that would clean without scratching resulting in the Bon Ami product 4 Bon Ami was originally manufactured in a factory in Glastonbury Connecticut which later moved to Manchester in the 1880s 5 As of 1896 Bon Ami was a common product in northeastern United States households 4 The chick and slogan hasn t scratched yet are textbook examples of an early American trademark 6 7 8 Consumers in the late 1800s understood that a newborn chick doesn t scratch the ground for three days thus the correlation with the non scratching benefits of Bon Ami 4 20th century Edit In the early 1900s Alfred William Erickson founder of McCann Erickson Advertising revived the brand with full color pages in leading women s magazines He accepted Bon Ami as a client circa 1908 9 Artist Ben Austrian painted the prints 2 3 and Ben s wife served as the model in the ads The campaign blossomed into literature with the release of The Chick That Never Grew Up a work of children s literature featuring Princess Bon Ami 2 In 1963 Lestoil purchased an approximately 60 stake in Bon Ami 10 Bon Ami merged into Lestoil in 1964 after protracted negotiations 11 In 1971 Bon Ami was purchased by the Faultless Starch Company 12 which later changed the corporation name to Faultless Starch Bon Ami Company to help reintroduce Bon Ami to the market In 1980 the company again revived its brand with a magazine campaign featuring the headline never underestimate the cleaning power of a 94 year old chick with a French name 8 During the first 6 months of the campaign Bon Ami sales rose 12 13 Nevertheless its business was still flagging by 1983 when it remained in third place behind products from Procter amp Gamble and Colgate Palmolive 12 21st century Edit In 2011 the Bon Ami company celebrated its 125th anniversary by re releasing the original cleaning cake for purchase Limited supplies were offered both with and without a commemorative tin celebrating the original formula s popularity 14 Advertising EditThe product s slogan hasn t scratched yet refers to its ability to avoid scratching porcelain plumbing fixtures The Bon Ami mascot a chick emerging from an egg is a play on that slogan Ingredients EditThe product called original contains only feldspar 15 For other products the Bon Ami website lists the following as main ingredients feldspar limestone water baking soda citric acid corn alcohol epsom salts essential oils and xanthan gum 16 Outside the United States EditIn Canada the brand is owned and distributed by S C Johnson amp Son as a glass cleaner In popular culture Edit Bon Ami advertisement 1890 In the comedy film The Ghost and Mr Chicken whenever discussing a murder at an old mansion one character mentions that the police were unable to clean the blood off the organ keys and another character adds And they used Bon Ami Lead actor Don Knotts personally got permission from the president of Bon Ami to include this reference to the company s product 17 In the F Scott Fitzgerald novel Tender Is the Night first published in 1934 Fitzgerald notes the routine of the character Dick Diver in cleaning up his workroom at his home outside Cannes He swept up for no servants were allowed in there treated his washroom sketchily with Bon Ami repaired a screen and sent off an order to a publishing house in Zurich 18 In the first volume of his autobiography Isaac Asimov recalls a box his family kept in the bathroom when he was a child and how in his childish naivete he was impressed that the company was so conscientious that if they ever found that the powder had scratched they would change the slogan to Only Scratched Once 19 Jane Vandenburgh s novel Failure to Zigzag makes reference to Bon Ami s slogan hasn t scratched yet 20 See also EditAjax Bar Keepers Friend Biocide CometReferences Edit Hubbard Robert 2012 Glastonbury Arcadia Publishing p 24 ISBN 978 0 7385 7679 4 Archived from the original on September 23 2020 Retrieved September 19 2020 a b c Cross Mary 2002 Bon Ami Scouring Powder A Century of American Icons 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th Century Consumer Culture Westport Connecticut Greenwood Press pp 3 4 ISBN 978 0313314810 OCLC 1029270577 Retrieved September 4 2020 a b Dorman 1994 p 66 a b c Woodward 2003 p 143 Rhinelander David August 27 1999 Scratching the Surface of Bon Ami s Beginnings Hartford Courant p B1 ISSN 1047 4153 ProQuest 256268856 Barach Arnold B 1971 Bon Ami Chicks Famous American Trademarks Washington D C Public Affairs Press pp 23 24 OCLC 1034671046 Nesbit Wilbur Dick 1922 First Principles of Advertising Gregg Publishing Company pp 104 105 a b Percy Pam 2002 The Complete Chicken Stillwater Minnesota Voyageur Press p 118 ISBN 9780785827542 OCLC 1148597385 Hirschhorn Bernard 1997 Democracy Reformed Richard Spencer Childs and His Fight for Better Government Greenwood Publishing Group p 13 ISBN 978 0 313 30144 5 Archived from the original on September 23 2020 Retrieved September 19 2020 Lestoil Buys Contol of Bon Ami for Cash The Wall Street Journal August 27 1963 p 6 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 132807938 Lestoil and Bon Ami Reach Accord With Merger Foes The New York Times June 27 1964 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved September 4 2020 a b Bon Ami Now Scratches for Soap Market Share The New York Times March 21 1983 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on May 24 2015 Retrieved September 4 2020 Ferrell O C Pride William M 1982 Fundamentals of Marketing Boston Houghton Mifflin Harcourt p 340 OCLC 1035151757 Bon Ami 125th Anniversary Cleaning Cake Kit Archived from the original on December 8 2011 Retrieved November 7 2011 Bon Ami 1886 Original Formula SDS Number 04030 PDF Archived PDF from the original on December 23 2016 Retrieved December 22 2016 The Bon Ami Story Bon Ami Archived from the original on June 15 2020 Retrieved September 4 2020 Knotts Don Metz Robert 1999 Barney Fife and Other Characters I Have Known New York Berkley Boulevard Books pp 180 182 ISBN 9780783888224 OCLC 1028652483 Fitzgerald F Scott 1997 1934 Tender Is the Night Penguin Popular Classics London Penguin p 207 ISBN 978 0 14062 359 8 Asimov Isaac 1979 In Memory Yet Green The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov 1920 1954 Doubleday ISBN 978 0 385 13679 2 Archived from the original on September 23 2020 Retrieved September 3 2020 Vandenburgh Jane May 3 2000 Failure to Zigzag Counterpoint p 89 ISBN 978 1 58243 895 5 Archived from the original on September 23 2020 Retrieved September 19 2020 Sources EditDorman Evelyn S 1994 Bon Ami In Jorgensen Janice ed Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands Vol 2 St James Press pp 66 68 ISBN 9781558623378 OCLC 756196954 Woodward A 2003 Faultless Starch Bon Ami Company In Grant Tina ed International Directory of Company Histories Vol 55 St James Press pp 142 145 ISBN 9781558626966 OCLC 769044999 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bon Ami Official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bon Ami amp oldid 1143257305, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
